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Coming up on this episode of the Hockey Nuts, Steve and I get you caught up with all of the news of the past week around the hockey world. Round 2 of the NHL playoffs is under way, and all 4 series look to be as competitive as ever. Steve and I will get you caught up with everything that has happened in each series. Spoiler alert: all 4 series started off 1 to 1. We’ll have the details of all this plus the Minor League Hockey Minute, The NCAA hockey minute and our picks of the week.

Ron Francis had his contract terminated by the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday. Francis had been removed as general manager and named president of hockey operations March 7. He had been the GM since replacing Jim Rutherford on April 24, 2014. Francis had worked in various roles for the Hurricanes since 2006. Carolina president Don Waddell has been leading the search for a new general manager, who will report directly to owner Tom Dundon. Francis spent 16 of his 23 NHL seasons with the Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers, and is the franchise leader in goals (382), assists (793) and points (1,175). He retired as an NHL player before the 2005-06 season and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007. His #10 also hangs in the rafters of the PNC Arena. Joe Nieuwendyk also resigned as Hurricanes pro scout and adviser. He had 1,126 points (564 goals, 562 assists) in 1,257 NHL games and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011.

Lou Lamoriello will not return as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs but will remain with the organization in the role of senior adviser. When Lamoriello, 75, was hired July 23, 2015, the plan was for him to be GM for three years before transitioning to senior adviser for the following four years. Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan said Monday he decided it was best to adhere to the original plan. https://www.nhl.com/news/lou-lamoriello-out-as-general-manager-of-toronto/c-298345734

Brian Burke is leaving his position as Calgary Flames president of hockey operations and will join Sportsnet for the remainder of the Stanley Cup Playoffs as an analyst, beginning this weekend. Burke, 62, had been with the Flames since Sept. 5, 2013 and hired general manager Brad Treliving on April 28, 2014. In Burke’s five seasons, the Flames made the Stanley Cup Playoffs twice. This season they finished fifth in the Pacific Division and 11 points behind the Colorado Avalanche for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference. https://www.nhl.com/news/brian-burke-out-as-calgary-president-of-hockey-operations/c-298291282

Rick Dudley was hired as senior vice president of hockey operations for the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. Dudley, 69, was senior vice president of hockey operations for the Montreal Canadiens for the previous six seasons. Dudley will report to Hurricanes president Don Waddell, furthering a relationship that dates to 1986, when Dudley was coach of Flint in the International Hockey League and hired Waddell as an assistant. They worked together most recently with the Atlanta Thrashers when Waddell, then general manager, hired Dudley as assistant GM in 2009.

Chris Tierneywill center the No. 1 line for the San Jose Sharks against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 3 of the Western Conference Second Round at SAP Center on Monday. Tierney will replace Joonas Donskoi, who sustained a lower-body injury in a 4-3 double-overtime win in Game 2 on Saturday, on a line with Joe Pavelski and Evander Kane. Pavelski moves from center to wing and Kane returns after a one-game suspension for cross-checking forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare in the third period of a 7-0 win by the Golden Knights in Game 1 on Thursday.

Nico Hischierwill have his left wrist and hand immobilized for 2-4 weeks because of an injury the New Jersey Devils rookie forward played through all season. Hischier, the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, won’t need surgery to repair the injury, the Devils announced Thursday, but it will keep him from playing for Switzerland at the 2018 IIHF World Championship in Denmark from May 4-20. The 19-year-old, who was the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, had 52 points (20 goals, 32 assists) in 82 regular-season games, second on the Devils behind Taylor Hall (93 points; 39 goals, 54 assists). Hischier scored one goal in New Jersey’s five-game loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference First Round.

Tom Wilsonwill have a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety on Wednesday. The Washington Capitals forward is facing discipline for an illegal check to the head of Pittsburgh Penguins forward Zach Aston-Reese in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Second Round. The incident occurred 9:47 into the second period. Wilson was not penalized. Aston-Reese left the game, and the Penguins said he has a broken jaw and a concussion and will be out for the rest of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Wilson assisted on the tying goal in Washington’s 4-3 win that gave the Capitals a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series.

Todd McLellan will return for a fourth season as coach of the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers were 36-40-6 and missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season after reaching the Western Conference Second Round in 2017, their only postseason appearance since 2006. Edmonton was sixth in the Pacific Division and 17 points behind the Colorado Avalanche for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference. https://www.nhl.com/news/todd-mclellan-to-return-as-oilers-coach/c-298295694

The National Hockey League will return to China in September for a pair of preseason games between the Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames as part of the 2018 O.R.G. NHL China Games™, the NHL®, the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) and Bloomage International jointly announced today. On Saturday, Sept. 15, the Flames will play host to the Bruins at Shenzhen Universiade Sports Center in Shenzhen, and on Wednesday, Sept. 19, the Bruins will play host to the Flames at Cadillac Arena in Beijing. The matchups in September will be the third and fourth preseason contests played in China following the 2017 NHL China Games™ presented by O.R.G. Packaging, which included games in Shanghai and Beijing between the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks. https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-china-games-2018-calgary-flames-boston-bruins/c-298379832

Jim Montgomery will be hired as coach of the Dallas Stars this week, according to TSN. Montgomery, 48, has coached the past five seasons at the University Denver. He told his players Wednesday that he has agreed in principle to become Stars coach, according to the Denver Post. Montgomery declined to comment when reached by the newspaper. Among the players Montgomery has sent to the NHL are New Jersey Devils defenseman Will Butcher, Boston Bruins forward Danton Heinen, Anaheim Ducks forward Troy Terry, and Florida Panthers forward Henrik Borgstrom. Montgomery had two interviews with the Florida Panthers before they hired Bob Boughner, and spoke with the Los Angeles Kings prior to them hiring John Stevens last year, according to The Denver Post. Montgomery played pro hockey for 12 seasons, including 122 NHL games with the St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks and the Stars.

This show is a labor of love for us, but it does cost us money each month to produce. So, we are exploring options to allow you, our listener, to help us cover the costs of producing it. For starters, we have set up affiliate relationships with a couple companies. In the future, we may have more, but for now, you can support us through your purchases at Amazon.com and HockeyMonkey.com (Hockey Monkey is a hockey equipment provider). Your purchases there will not cost you a dime more, but a small percentage of your purchase will come back to us. In order to support us through our affiliates, simply go to our web site at TheHockeyNuts.com, and click on the appropriate affiliate link on the right side of the page. Coming soon: Seatgeek.com

Additionally, we are looking at ways to directly support us through a donation program. For now, if you would like to donate, go to thehockeynuts.com/donate and you will redirected to paypal.

Finally, if you can’t support us financially through one of the programs we just mentioned, you can support us through the following:

Share our show with other hockey fans you know.

If you have the itunes app on your computer or device, subscribe to our show there. It will help us rise up the rankings.

Speaking of itunes, we also encourage you to give us a review on itunes, as it will also help us get noticed more there.

Like, comment, and share our content wherever you see us on various social media pages.

Get involved with the show! We are just a couple hockey fans, and we love interacting with the audience.

Finally, we are looking for guest hosts to come on from time to time. If you feel you can provide more insight on your favorite team or league than we are, let us know! All you would need to join the show is a computer and Skype.

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Coming up on this episode of the Hockey Nuts, Steve and I get you caught up with all of the news of the past week around the hockey world. The NHL playoffs are wrapping up round 1 and heading into round 2. Steve and I will get you caught up with everything that has happened in each series. Plus, we will also Preview Round 2. We’ll have the details of all this plus the Minor League Hockey Minute, The NCAA hockey minute and our picks of the week.

The Minnesota Wild fired Chuck Fletcher as executive vice president and general manager on Monday. Owner Craig Leipold told Fletcher his contract would not be renewed and said a search for a replacement will begin immediately. Brent Flahr, the Wild’s senior vice president of hockey operations, will be the acting GM. The Wild were eliminated by the Winnipeg Jets in five games in the Western Conference First Round following a third-place finish in the Central Division (45-26-11, 101 points). Leipold stated Fletcher’s firing was not a direct result of the loss to the Jets, rather a reflection of Minnesota’s poor history in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Fletcher, 50, became the second GM in Wild history when he was hired May 21, 2009, replacing Doug Risebrough. He is the son of longtime NHL executive Cliff Fletcher, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Minnesota has qualified for the playoffs each of the past six seasons but has won two postseason series and lost three straight first-round series. The Wild are 4-16 in their past 20 playoff games. Leipold said Boudreau, who was hired by Fletcher to replace Mike Yeo as coach on May 7, 2016, will be consulted but will not be a part of the interview process. He also added, “I’d say our coaching staff right now is not going anywhere.”

Bill Peters was hired as coach of the Calgary Flames on Monday. Peters, who resigned as coach of the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday, received a multiyear contract. He replaces Glen Gulutzan, who was fired April 17 after the Flames missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the seventh time in nine seasons. The Flames were 37-35-10, fifth in the Pacific Division, and missed the playoffs by 11 points after qualifying last season, Gulutzan’s first as coach. Calgary’s home record of 17-20-4 was the fourth worst in the NHL, and its power play (16.0 percent) was tied for 28th. The Flames also scored an NHL-low 61 third-period goals. Peters was the only person interviewed to replace Gulutzan. “At the time we made the decision for a change last week, I had gone and asked for permission to speak with Carolina regarding Bill’s availability, and I want to thank the Carolina Hurricanes for their cooperation in that process,” general manager Brad Treliving said. “We were able to move forward with Bill.” Peters and Treliving have worked together before. Peters coached Canada to the gold medal at the 2016 IIHF World Championship, with Treliving serving as co-GM. “There’s some great candidates out there,” Treliving said. “This wasn’t one based upon hiring a friend, per se. Bill and I don’t have a long relationship; we had a situation where we worked together over a small period of time. But you do your homework. This is somebody I believe fully in. This is somebody I have been around enough to know, the network of people I talked to, to not formalize a thought but solidify a thought I got. Peters had one year remaining on his contract before exercising his opt-out clause with Carolina. The Hurricanes were 137-138-53 and did not qualify for the playoffs during his four seasons as coach. “You have to be hungrier,” said Peters, who will coach Canada at the 2018 World Championship in Copenhagen and Herning, Denmark, from May 4-20. “That’s no problem. I have no issue with that. We’re going to set realistic expectations and they’re going to be high. Expectations are great to have. “If you have high expectations, that means you’re legitimate. You’re in the hunt. You don’t want to be in a situation where there are no expectations, there are no demands, because it means you aren’t close enough. This group is right there.” Peters, born in Three Hills, Alberta, 80 miles northeast of Calgary, was hired six days after Gulutzan was fired. Peters said the decision to step down in Carolina was not one taken lightly. He had one year remaining on his contract and an opt-out clause he needed to exercise by Friday. “It kept coming back to the fact that a new [general manager] deserves the opportunity to hire his own coach. And especially when you combine it with a new owner and a new GM, I think they need to chart their own path.” “Really a great area, with great people in the community,” Peters said of his time in Carolina. “I worked with a ton of great people. I’m thankful for the effort from the players in our four years. I’m thankful for the fans’ support. They’re very passionate fans. … It’s all positive memories for me, it really is.” The Dallas Stars and New York Rangers also do not have a coach.

Philly injuries: Top-line center Sean Couturier missed Game 4 (a 5-0 loss) because of a torn MCL in his right knee. He returned and scored the game-winning goal in Game 5 and had five points (three goals, two assists) in Game 6. Provorov played Game 6 despite an injury to his left shoulder that limited his effectiveness. He led them in postseason ice time at 24:52 per game and was matched against Penguins star Sidney Crosby all series. “It’s playoffs,” said goaltender Michal Neuvirth, who didn’t dress until Game 4 because of a lower-body injury. “Everyone’s hurting right now. It’s same for both teams.”

Colorado injuries: The Avalanche played without No. 1 goalie Semyon Varlamov and their best all-around defenseman, Erik Johnson. Varlamov injured his knee against the Chicago Blackhawks on March 30, two days after Johnson crashed into the boards against the Philadelphia Flyers and fractured his kneecap. The Avalanche lost defenseman Samuel Girard for three games to a lower-body injury. He returned for Games 5 and 6. Goalie Jonathan Bernier started the first four games, but he sustained a lower-body injury in the second period of Game 4. Andrew Hammond, who played in one NHL regular-season game, stopped all eight shots he faced in the third period after Bernier couldn’t continue. He started Games 5 and 6, making 44 saves in a 2-1 win and 32 saves in the series-ending loss.

Minnesota Injuries: Two players don’t make a team but losing defenseman Ryan Suter and forward Zach Parise hurt — a lot. Suter, who led the Wild in ice time per game (26:47) and their defensemen in scoring (51 points; six goals, 45 assists), was out since March 31 with a broken right ankle. Parise led the Wild with three goals in the series before he fractured his sternum in Game 3 and missed Games 4 and 5.

Evgeni Malkinand Carl Hagelin did not practice with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday and each is day to day, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said after Pittsburgh’s first skate since advancing to the Eastern Conference Second Round against the Washington Capitals. A lower-body injury held Malkin, the Penguins’ second-line center, out of their 8-5 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference First Round, a best-of-7 series Pittsburgh won in six games. He had five points (three goals, two assists) in five games. Hagelin, the second-line left wing, also missed practice; he sustained an upper-body injury when taking a hit from Flyers forward Claude Giroux at 9:31 of the second period Sunday.

Zach Werenskiplayed most of the season for the Columbus Blue Jackets with an undisclosed injury. Werenski, one of 10 Columbus players made available to the media Tuesday, less than 24 hours after being eliminated by the Washington Capitals in six games in the Eastern Conference First Round, said he never fully recovered after he was injured Oct. 30 against the Boston Bruins. “I can think every night I go out there I’m 100 percent, but the truth is I wasn’t,” said the 20-year-old defenseman, who had 37 points (16 goals, 21 assists) and a plus-8 rating in 77 games. Werenski, who often missed practice for a maintenance day, wouldn’t say whether surgery will be required.

Joe Thorntonwon’t play Game 1 of the Western Conference Second Round for the San Jose Sharks against the Vegas Golden Knights. Thornton, who has been practicing since March 23, skated on the fifth line again Sunday, but coach Peter DeBoer said the 38-year-old center’s return is not on his radar. Thornton hasn’t played since injuring his right knee against the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 23. He had surgery to repair his right medial collateral ligament. Defenseman Brent Burns (undisclosed) missed his second consecutive practice but skated with assistant coach Rob Zettler beforehand. Burns missed the final 10 minutes of Game 3 in the first round but had an assist in Game 4 to help the Sharks to a four-game sweep of the Anaheim Ducks. “Maintenance day,” DeBoer said. “He’ll be fine.” Burns hasn’t missed a game since the 2013-14 season, when he sat out 13 with sore gums. Sharks defenseman Brenden Dillon said he’s not concerned.

Andre Burakovskydid not play after game 2 for the Washington Capitals against the Columbus Blue Jackets because of an upper-body injury and needs minor surgery, coach Barry Trotz said Friday. Trotz said it is possible the 23-year-old forward would be able to return later in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Burakovsky, the No. 23 pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, had 25 points (12 goals, 13 assists) in 56 regular-season games and no points in the first two playoff games against Columbus. Burakovsky missed 19 games from Oct. 26-Dec. 6 after having surgery to repair a fractured left thumb Oct. 24.

Other Interesting Stories:

Rod Brind’Amour is interested in becoming the next coach of the Carolina Hurricanes. “If you never try, you’ll never know,” Brind’Amour, a former captain and current assistant with the Hurricanes, told The News & Observer on Saturday. “The reason for saying ‘why not?’ is I’ve been doing it for eight years and I really believe I can help out one way or the other and see if I can put us over the hump. “I don’t think as an assistant I’m going to get any better or learn any more. So now’s the time. … They’re going to find the best guy to do it and if it’s me, that’s great — and if not, I understand. But I felt like I could at least step up and see if it could happen.” The Hurricanes have a coaching vacancy after Bill Peters resigned Friday. He went 137-138-53, and Carolina failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of his four seasons. The Hurricanes were 36-35-11 this season, 14 points behind the New Jersey Devils for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference. The Hurricanes have not made the playoffs since 2009. Brind’Amour, 47, was captain of the Hurricanes when they won the Stanley Cup in 2006. He has been an assistant since the 2011-12 season. “He’s a good coach and I learned a lot from him,” Brind’Amour said of Peters. “What he was thinking, I don’t know because we never talked about it. But I just know he was very competitive and maybe he felt the way we were set up we weren’t competitive enough. But that’s me speculating.” Tom Dundon took over as majority owner of the Hurricanes on Jan. 11 and reassigned former general manager Ron Francis, who remains with the organization as president of hockey operations. Carolina does not have a GM. “It’s been refreshing for me,” Brind’Amour said of the ownership change. “He’s put himself in the fire too, and I like that. He’s trying to do it all, but I don’t think he’s going into it saying, ‘This is the way it’s going to be.’ He’s asking a lot of questions from everybody in the organization. He’s certainly passionate about what he’s doing, so I give him a lot of credit for that and I like that. “You get the feeling we’re either going to kill it or we’re going to get killed. To be honest, I like taking that chance. Obviously, we’ve been mired in, whatever the word is, mediocrity or whatever, but I think everybody would like to see us in one place or the other but not stuck in the middle. Tom wants to know what’s going on at every level and improve it at every level.”

David Quinn was named coach of the United States for the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship. The announcement was made Friday on NHL Now, in conjunction with USA Hockey. The 2019 World Junior Championship will take place Dec. 26, 2018-Jan. 5, 2019 in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia. Quinn, who has coached Boston University for the past five seasons, will help oversee approximately 40 players at the 2018 World Junior Summer Showcase at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan, in August. The U.S. will be joined by Canada, Finland and Sweden. Quinn is 105-68-21 at BU. He’s coached the Terriers to four straight NCAA tournament appearances (2015-18), two Hockey East tournament championships (2015, 2018) and the 2015 Beanpot title. He was named Hockey East and New England Coach of the Year in 2015. Quinn has helped groom many college players into professional athletes, including Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy, Buffalo Sabres forward Jack Eichel, Arizona Coyotes forward Clayton Kellerand Minnesota Wild forward Jordan Greenway. Four players from BU were selected in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft (Keller, McAvoy, defenseman Dante Fabbro and forward Kieffer Bellows). BU left wing Brady Tkachuk, No. 2 in NHL Central Scouting’s final list of North American skaters eligible for the 2018 NHL Draft in Dallas on June 22-23, is expected to be among the first five players chosen.

Honors/Milestones:

Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Deryk Engelland, Philadelphia Flyers right wing Wayne Simmondsand Winnipeg Jets right wing Blake Wheelerwere named finalists for the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award. The award is given annually to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season and plays a role in his community growing the game of hockey. The winner will be announced at the 2018 NHL Awards presented by Hulu at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on June 20. Messier solicited suggestions from teams and League personnel and fans, but the former Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks captain makes the final selection of the three finalists and the winner.

Mathew Barzalof the New York Islanders, Brock Boeser of the Vancouver Canucks and Clayton Keller of the Arizona Coyotes were named finalists for the Calder Trophy on Sunday. The award is given to the best rookie in the NHL. The winner will be announced at the 2018 NHL Awards presented by Hulu at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on June 20. Barzal was chosen by the Islanders with the No. 16 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. The 20-year-old center led all rookies with 85 points (22 goals, 63 assists), 20 more than the next closest player (Keller). Boeser, a 21-year-old right wing, was selected by the Canucks with the No. 23 pick in 2015. He finished second among rookies in goals (29) and fifth in points (55) in 62 games; he missed the final 16 games of the season because of a back injury sustained in a game against the Islanders on March 5. Keller was the No. 7 pick of the Coyotes in the 2016 NHL Draft. The 19-year-old center had 65 points (23 goals, 42 assists), second among NHL rookies and most by a Coyotes rookie since the franchise relocated from Winnipeg to Arizona in 1996.

Brian Boyle(New Jersey Devils), Roberto Luongo (Florida Panthers) and Jordan Staal (Carolina Hurricanes) were named Saturday as the three finalists for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. The award is presented annually to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Boyle, a 33-year-old forward, was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, a type of bone marrow cancer, during training camp. He worked his way back into the New Jersey lineup by Nov. 1 and scored 10 goals in his first 25 games, including one on the Devils’ Hockey Fights Cancer Night at Prudential Center, a 3-2 win over Vancouver on Nov. 24. Boyle missed three games after his season debut and represented the Devils at the 2018 Honda NHL All-Star Game. Luongo, 39, overcame hand and groin injuries to power the Panthers’ late playoff push. Florida’s all-time leader in wins, shutouts and appearances by a goaltender missed more than two months before returning on Feb. 17 to help the Panthers defeat Calgary 6-3. In a 13-game span, Luongo went 9-3-1 with a 2.44 goals-against average and .928 save percentage. On Feb. 22, Luongo delivered a heartfelt, unscripted speech to the crowd at BB&T Center prior to Florida’s game against the Washington Capitals. The 12-year resident of nearby Parkland, Florida, addressed the recent Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting during the Panthers’ pregame ceremony to honor the victims. Staal, a 29-year-old center, showed great strength amid a family tragedy. In late February, Staal and his wife, Heather, announced their daughter, Hannah, was delivered stillborn due to a terminal birth defect previously diagnosed by doctors. Staal, who had assumed a bigger leadership role with the Hurricanes by being named co-captain before the season, missed three games following the tragedy.

Aleksander Barkov(Florida Panthers), William Karlsson (Vegas Golden Knights) and Ryan O’Reilly(Buffalo Sabres) were named finalists for the Lady Byng Trophy on Friday. The award is given annually to the player voted to best combine sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct and ability. Barkov, a 22-year-old center, had an NHL career high 78 points (27 goals, 51 assists) but just 14 PIMs, the most by a Panthers player since Olli Jokinen (91 points; 39 goals, 52 assists) in 2006-07. Karlsson, a 25-year-old center, finished third in the NHL with 43 goals and led the League with a plus-49 rating in 82 games. He took six minor penalties. Karlsson would become the first player to win an end-of-season trophy for a team in its inaugural NHL season since Wayne Gretzky won the Hart and Lady Byng trophies for the Edmonton Oilers in 1979-80. O’Reilly, a 27-year-old center, had 61 points (24 goals, 37 assists) and won 1,274 face-offs, the most by any player since the NHL began tracking the statistic in 1997-98. He received one minor penalty, the fewest of any player with at least 41 games played.

Victor Hedmanis a Norris Trophy finalist for the second straight season. The Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman, who finished third in 2017, is vying to become the first Lightning player to win the award given to the defenseman who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-around ability at the position. Hedman’s competition is Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings and K. Subban of the Nashville Predators. Hedman, 27, scored 17 goals and 63 pts, tied for first with Ivan Provorov of the Philadelphia Flyers and Dougie Hamilton of the Calgary Flames among NHL defensemen. Doughty, 28, had an NHL career-high 60 points (10 goals, 50 assists) in 82 games and led the League in total time on ice (2,200:31) and average ice time (26:50) while helping the Kings allow a League-low 202 goals. Doughty won the Norris in 2016, and this is the fourth time he’s a finalist for the award. Subban, 28, helped the Predators lead the League in goals (56) and points (206) by defensemen. His 16 goals were an NHL career high, and his 59 points were one behind his personal best set with the Montreal Canadiens in 2014-15. Subban won the Norris with the Canadiens in 2013 and is a finalist for the third time. He would be the first Predators defenseman to win the trophy.

This show is a labor of love for us, but it does cost us money each month to produce. So, we are exploring options to allow you, our listener, to help us cover the costs of producing it. For starters, we have set up affiliate relationships with a couple companies. In the future, we may have more, but for now, you can support us through your purchases at Amazon.com and HockeyMonkey.com (Hockey Monkey is a hockey equipment provider). Your purchases there will not cost you a dime more, but a small percentage of your purchase will come back to us. In order to support us through our affiliates, simply go to our web site at TheHockeyNuts.com, and click on the appropriate affiliate link on the right side of the page. Coming soon: Seatgeek.com

Additionally, we are looking at ways to directly support us through a donation program. For now, if you would like to donate, go to thehockeynuts.com/donate and you will redirected to paypal.

Finally, if you can’t support us financially through one of the programs we just mentioned, you can support us through the following:

Share our show with other hockey fans you know.

If you have the itunes app on your computer or device, subscribe to our show there. It will help us rise up the rankings.

Speaking of itunes, we also encourage you to give us a review on itunes, as it will also help us get noticed more there.

Like, comment, and share our content wherever you see us on various social media pages.

Get involved with the show! We are just a couple hockey fans, and we love interacting with the audience.

Finally, we are looking for guest hosts to come on from time to time. If you feel you can provide more insight on your favorite team or league than we are, let us know! All you would need to join the show is a computer and Skype.

Share this:

Coming up on this episode of the Hockey Nuts, Steve and I get you caught up with all of the news of the past week around the hockey world. The playoffs are now under way. Two teams have already been eliminated, while the rest of the series are rushing toward a conclusion. Steve and I get you caught up with everything that has happened in each series. We’ll have the details of all this plus the Minor League Hockey Minute, The NCAA hockey minute and our picks of the week

Glen Gulutzan was fired as coach of the Calgary Flames on Tuesday. The Flames were 37-35-10, fifth in the Pacific Division, and missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs by 11 points after making it in Gulutzan’s first season. Calgary’s home record of 17-20-4 was the fourth-worst in the NHL, and their power play, at 16.0 percent, was tied for 28th. The Flames also scored an NHL-low 61 third-period goals. The 46-year-old was 82-68-14 in two seasons with Calgary and in four NHL seasons (Dallas Stars, 2011-13) is 146-125-23. Assistant coaches Dave Cameron and Paul Jerrard were also fired. “Ultimately, you are what your record says you are, but I felt in order to get our team to the level it needs to get to, and each individual to the level he needs to get to, that we had to make this decision,” Calgary general manager Brad Treliving said. “We underperformed,” Treliving said. “When you go through the process of underperforming, you pull everything. It starts with myself, player decisions, personnel decisions. You go into the players’ performance, who played well, who didn’t and why?”

Peter Chiarelli will remain president and general manager of the Edmonton Oilers next season and will be evaluating coach Todd McLellan and his staff, CEO and vice chair Bob Nicholson said Thursday. “We will have a plan coming out in the near future about how we’re going forward,” Nicholson said. “We have one goal, and that is to make sure we’re back in the playoffs next year.” The Oilers (36-40-6) finished sixth in the Pacific Division, 17 points behind the Colorado Avalanche for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. In 2017, Edmonton advanced to the Western Conference Second Round, where it lost to the Anaheim Ducks in seven games. It’s the only appearance by the Oilers in the playoffs since 2006, when they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Final. Chiarelli, who was hired by the Oilers on April 24, 2015, and won the Stanley Cup as GM of the Boston Bruins in 2011, said Wednesday there was no guarantee that McLellan and his staff would be back next season. The Oilers are 114-109-23 in McLellan’s three seasons as coach.

Guy Boucher may not return as coach of the Ottawa Senators next season but there is no timeline for a decision, general manager Pierre Dorion said Thursday. Dorion said an evaluation of Boucher and his staff is underway after the Senators went 28-43-11 and finished next-to-last in the NHL one season after reaching Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins before losing in double overtime. Dorion said changes will be made even if Boucher returns. “Two things that will change, if he’s back, is the implementation of younger players in our lineup, but he will decide who gets what ice time,” Dorion said. “And we’re going to practice more. ‘Rest is a weapon,’ if I have to hear that one more time, I’ll go crazy.” Boucher is 72-71-21 in two seasons with Ottawa and 169-150-41 in five seasons in the NHL; he coached the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2010-11 through 2012-13. Dorion said there is a 99.9 percent chance the Senators will use their first-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft and instead surrender their first-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft to the Colorado Avalanche. The Senators sent that first-round pick in 2018 to the Avalanche in the trade for forward Matt Duchene on Nov. 5, but because it will be a pick in the top 10, Ottawa can keep it and send its first-round pick in 2019 to Colorado. Because the Senators finished next-to-last in the standings, they have a 13.5 percent chance of landing the No. 1 pick and can select no lower than No. 5. The NHL Draft Lottery will be held April 28, and the 2018 NHL Draft begins June 22.. The Senators also own the Penguins’ first-round pick from the trade that sent center Derick Brassard to Pittsburgh on Feb. 23.

Sean Couturierdid not play when the Philadelphia Flyers played the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVAS, NBCSP, ATTSN-PT). The Flyers’ No. 1 center left practice early Tuesday because of an apparent injury. He collided with defenseman Radko Gudas and left the ice.

Patric Hornqvist did not play for the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TVAS, NBCSP, ATTSN-PT). The 31-year-old forward is considered day to day with an upper-body injury that kept him out of practice Tuesday. Defenseman Kris Letang, who missed practice because of a maintenance day, is expected to play. Sullivan would not say when the injury to Hornqvist occurred. It’s unclear how the Penguins will compensate for his absence on the top power-play unit, where he is the net-front presence. Guentzel could move from the second unit to take his place. He will not play for the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Philadelphia Flyers at PPG Paints Arena on Friday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVAS, ATTSN-PT, NBCSP)

Andre Burakovskywill miss at least the games 3&4 for the Washington Capitals in the Eastern Conference First Round against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Burakovsky sustained an upper-body injury at 14:47 of the first period of Game 2 on Sunday when Blue Jackets forward Boone Jenner checked him into the boards. Burakovsky, 23, played left wing on a line with Nicklas Backstrom and J. Oshie. He had 25 points (12 goals, 13 assists) in 55 games during the regular season. Against the Blue Jackets, he has no points and three shots on goal. Burakovsky skated 2:12 in Game 2 before departing.

NHL linesman Steve Barton will require surgery for a dislocated left kneecap and a torn quadriceps muscle sustained during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on Sunday. Barton was injured when his skate clipped the skate of Blue Jackets forward Josh Anderson. The game was delayed with 48.1 seconds remaining in the second period and Barton was helped off the ice by trainers from the Blue Jackets and Capitals. The period concluded with one linesman. Referee Garrett Rank, the backup official, replaced Barton for the third period. The Blue Jackets defeated the Capitals 5-4 in overtime to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series. Game 3 is at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN360, TVAS, FS-O, NBCSWA).

Josh Morrisseyhas been suspended one game by the NHL Department of Player Safety. The Winnipeg Jets defenseman was disciplined for cross-checking Minnesota Wild center Eric Staal in the first period of Game 4 of the Western Conference First Round on Wednesday. Morrissey will not be eligible for Game 5 at Winnipeg on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET; USA, SN, TVAS2, FS-N). The Jets lead the best-of-7 series 3-1. The incident occurred at 16:38 of the first period. There was no penalty assessed on the play; Staal returned to the game. https://www.nhl.com/news/josh-morrissey-banned-one-game-will-miss-game-5-for-winnipeg/c-298101248

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadrihas been suspended for three games for boarding Boston Bruins forward Tommy Wingelsduring Game 1 of the teams’ First Round series in Boston on Thursday, April 12, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced Friday. The incident occurred at 8:14 of the third period. Kadri was assessed a major penalty for charging and a game misconduct.

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughtyhas been suspended for one game for an illegal check to the head of Vegas Golden Knights forward William Carrierduring Game 1 of the teams’ First Round series in Las Vegas on Wednesday, April 11, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced Thursday. The incident occurred at 9:58 of the third period.

Ryan Hartmanhas been suspended one game by the NHL Department of Player Safety. The Nashville Predators forward was disciplined for an illegal check to the head of Colorado Avalanche forward Carl Soderberg in Game 4 of the Western Conference First Round on Wednesday. Hartman, 23, will not be eligible for Game 5 at Nashville on Friday (9:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN360, TVAS, FS-TN, ALT). The Predators lead the best-of-7 series 3-1. The incident occurred 4:42 into the third period. Hartman was penalized for charging at 4:52, and Soderberg left the game. Hartman has one goal in the series, averaging 11:11 of ice time. He had 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) in 78 games with the Chicago Blackhawks and Predators during the regular season. Hartman was acquired by Nashville in a trade with Chicago on Feb. 26.

John Amirante, the anthem singer who performed before New York Rangers games at Madison Square Garden for 35 years, died Tuesday. He was 83. Born in the Bronx, Amirante began performing for the Rangers in 1980 until retiring in 2015, though he made occasional guest appearances. He also sang the anthem for the New York Knicks and New York Yankees. In a 2009 interview with New York Magazine, Amirante said his favorite performance came before Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Final, when the Garden was so loud he couldn’t hear himself sing. The Rangers defeated the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 and won the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1940.

Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin of Frolunda in Sweden is No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking of International skaters for the 2018 NHL Draft, to be held at American Airlines Center in Dallas on June 22-23. Central Scouting revealed its final list of the top International skaters and goaltenders, and top North American skaters and goaltenders, on Monday. Dahlin, who turned 18 on Friday, had 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists), a plus-4 rating, 30 hits, 36 blocked shots and 84 shots on goal while averaging 19:02 of ice time in 41 games in the Swedish Hockey League. He had three points (one goal, two assists) and a plus-3 rating in six SHL playoff games. Rounding out the top five among European skaters are No. 2 defenseman Adam Boqvist (5-11, 168) of Brynas’ team in Sweden’s junior league; No. 3 right wing Vitali Kravtsov (6-2, 170) of Chelyabinsk in Russia; No. 4 right wing Martin Kaut (6-1, 176) of Pardubice in the Czech Republic; and No. 5 defenseman Adam Ginning (6-3, 196) of Linkoping in Sweden. Lukas Dostal (6-1, 158) of Treibic in the Czech Republic’s second division, is the No. 1 on Central Scouting’s final list of International goaltenders. Dostal, 17, had a 2.43 goals-against average and .921 save percentage in 20 games.

Center Andrei Svechnikov of Barrie in the Ontario Hockey League is No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters for the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center in Dallas on June 22-23. Svechnikov (6-foot-2, 188 pounds), who was No. 1 on Central Scouting’s midterm list in January, had 72 points (40 goals, 32 assists), 174 shots on goal and a plus-26 rating in 44 regular-season games as a rookie for Barrie this season. Left wing Brady Tkachuk (6-3, 196) of Boston University in Hockey East moved to No. 2 from No. 3; right wing Filip Zadina (6-0, 195) of Halifax in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League moved to No. 3 from No. 2; defenseman Evan Bouchard (6-2, 193) of London (OHL) moved to No. 4 from No. 5; defenseman Noah Dobson (6-3, 180) of Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL) moved to No. 5 from No. 8; and defenseman Quintin Hughes (5-9, 170) of the University of Michigan in the Big 10 moved to No. 6 from No. 4. Tyler Weiss #90 (Round 3) The top North American goaltender is Olivier Rodrigue (6-1, 159) of Drummondville (QMJHL). Rodrigue, who was No. 2 on Central Scouting’s midterm list of North American goalies, was 31-16-3 with a 2.54 goals-against average and .903 save percentage in 53 games. https://www.nhl.com/news/andrei-svechnikov-stays-no-1-in-central-scouting-final-2018-nhl-draft-rankings/c-297962744

Las Vegas will host the NHL Awards for the next three years and could host more NHL events in the future. The 2018 NHL Awards presented by Hulu will be at 8 p.m. ET on June 20 at The Joint, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino’s state-of-the-art concert and entertainment venue. NBCSN and Sportsnet will broadcast the event live in the United States and Canada. It will mark the 10th year of a partnership between the NHL and Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which has been extended for three years, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said Wednesday. “Obviously Las Vegas can hold and host major events, as evidenced by the fact that we’re here and that the Awards are here for the 10th season,” Commissioner Bettman said. “And my guess is, with all the things that are going on, at some point in the not-too-distant future, the club will start requesting being included in other events, whether it’s an All-Star Game or whether it’s an outdoor game.” “This is a community of 2 million people, and while visitors tend to focus on the Strip, this is a city that has people who have interests in the same things that people in all other major cities have,” Commissioner Bettman said. “And we were comfortable after we went through our thorough process that this was going to be a successful franchise for us. …

Tod Leiweke was named CEO and president of the potential Seattle expansion NHL franchise Wednesday. Leiweke is the younger brother of Tim Leiweke, the head of Oak View Group, which is renovating KeyArena, where the Seattle team would play. “I’ve always believed in the fans in Seattle,” Tod Leiweke said. “One of the great things about Seattle is the community, and the community of teams is fantastic.” Tod Leiweke previously was COO of the NFL, a job he left in March. Before going to the NFL, he was CEO of the Tampa Bay Lightning. A group headed by Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer and private equity CEO David Bonderman has submitted an application to become the 32nd NHL team. The group said it received 10,000 deposits for season tickets in the first 12 minutes of a ticket drive held March 1, and 25,000 in total. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the cost of an expansion team would be $650 million. The Vegas Golden Knights, who began play this season, paid a $500 million expansion fee to become the 31st team.

Honors/Milestones:

Patrice Bergeronis a finalist to win his fifth Selke Trophy, which would pass Bob Gainey for the most since the award was first presented in 1978. The Boston Bruins center, Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier and Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar were named as the three finalists for the award, which is given to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game. The winner will be announced at the 2018 NHL Awards presented by Hulu at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on June 20. Bergeron, 32, is a Selke finalist for a record seventh consecutive year, passing Pavel Datsyuk‘s six-year run from 2008 to 2013. Bergeron was sixth in face-off percentage (57.3 percent, minimum 750 attempts) and won a League-high 58.3 percent (minimum 50 attempts) while shorthanded. He was also first among NHL forwards in SAT percentage, with the Bruins getting 57.56 percent of all shot attempts when he was on the ice at 5-on-5. https://www.nhl.com/news/patrice-bergeron-sean-couturier-anze-kopitar-named-selke-trophy-finalists/c-298094454

The Pittsburgh Penguins tied a Stanley Cup Playoff record for fastest two goals by one team when they scored twice in five seconds against the Philadelphia Flyers in the second period of Game 3 in the Eastern Conference First Round at Wells Fargo Center on Sunday. Evgeni Malkin scored on a one-timer from the right circle off a pass from defenseman Kris Letang on a 4-on-3 power play at 6:48 to give the Penguins a 3-0 lead. Brian Dumoulin scored to extend the lead to 4-0 at 6:53, scoring five-hole on Flyers goalie Brian Elliott after Sidney Crosby won the face-off and sent him a backhand pass. The Penguins tied the record set by the Detroit Red Wings, who did it against the Chicago Blackhawks on April 11, 1965. Detroit’s Norm Ullman scored at 17:35 and 17:40 of the second period in a 4-2 win at Chicago Stadium.

David Pastrnak‘s six-point night not only powered the Boston Bruins to a 7-3 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round at TD Garden on Saturday, it broke a record held by Wayne Gretzky. At 21 years, 324 days old, Pastrnak became the youngest player in NHL history to have at least six points in a playoff game when he scored three goals and had three assists. That eclipsed the mark set by Gretzky, who was 22 years, 81 days old when he had seven points for the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of the 1983 Smythe Division Final. Gretzky scored four goals and had three assists in a 10-2 win against the Calgary Flames. Pastrnak, who had three points (one goal, two assists) in Boston’s 5-1 victory in Game 1, also matched a mark held by Hockey Hall of Famer Phil Esposito. Pastrnak has nine points (four goals, five assists) through the first two games against Toronto, tying Esposito for the most points by a player in the first two games of a playoff series. Esposito had nine points (five goals, four assists) for the Bruins against the Maple Leafs in the first two games of their 1969 quarterfinal series. The fourth-year forward is also the first Bruins player to get six points in a playoff game since Rick Middleton scored two goals and had four assists against the Buffalo Sabres in Game 4 of the 1983 Adams Division Final. Pastrnak is the first to do it in a playoff game since Philadelphia Flyers forward Claude Giroux scored three goals and had three assists against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 2 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. In addition, Pastrnak became the first to score three goals for the Bruins in a postseason game since David Krejci against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 4 of the 2013 conference quarterfinals.

Kraft Heinz is thrilled to announce Clinton Arena in Clinton, New York (Just outside of Utica) is the winner of Kraft Hockeyville USA 2018. After weeks of rallying and online voting, Clinton rallied together to prove exactly why they are the most spirited hockey community in America. The Kraft Hockeyville USA contest, now in its fourth year and in partnership with the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA), is proud to award Clinton Arena in Clinton, N.Y., an opportunity to host an NHL preseason Game and $150,000 in rink upgrades. Clinton Arena is a staple of the local hockey community in Clinton, N.Y. After suffering a fire in 1949 and rebuilding from scratch six years later, this beloved gem has served generations of young hockey players for nearly 70 years. Cementing its history, Clinton Arena was proudly listed on the National Historic Register in 2010. While the venue still has many of its original fixtures intact today, the prize money from Kraft Hockeyville USA will go toward improvements to a number of features, including the arena’s roof, locker room and seating. (I smell Rangers/Sabres, possibly Canucks (Comets)) https://www.nhl.com/news/clinton-ny-kraft-hockeyville-usa-2018/c-297994172

Ken Hitchcock retired as Dallas Stars coach Friday. “I have contemplated this since our last game, and I came to the conclusion that now is the right time to step away and let the younger generation of coaches take over,” the 66-year-old said in a letter on the Stars website. He will remain with the Stars as a consultant. No replacement has been named. “I’m in no rush,” Stars general manager Jim Nill said of hiring a replacement. “I want to make sure we get the right guy. I want to make sure we’re not leaving somebody out of the equation that deserves a chance to be heard.” The Stars were 42-32-8 in Hitchcock’s second stint with Dallas and failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Dallas finished three points behind the Colorado Avalanche for the second wild card from the Western Conference. Hitchcock is the third-winningest coach in NHL history with 823, behind Scotty Bowman (1,244) and Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville (884). Hitchcock has coached the fourth-most games (1,536), behind Bowman (2,141), Quenneville (1,621) and Al Arbour (1,607). Hitchcock was 823-506-119 with 88 ties in 21 seasons with the Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets and St. Louis Blues, and won the Stanley Cup with Dallas in 1999. He reached the Cup Final with Dallas in 2000, when it lost to the New Jersey Devils. Hitchcock, from Edmonton, was part of coaching staffs that led Canada to Olympic gold medals in 2002, 2010 and 2014.

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Coming up on this episode of the Hockey Nuts, Steve and I get you caught up with all of the news of the past week around the hockey world. Tragedy struck the hockey world this week as the NHL regular season drew to a close. The playoffs are now under way, and Steve and I discuss each series and make our round 1 predictions. We’ll have the details of all this plus the Minor League Hockey Minute, The NCAA hockey minute and our picks of the week.

Edmonton Oilers coach Todd McLellan and Calgary Flames coach Glen Gulutzan spending Sunday with the Humboldt Broncos, a junior hockey team in Saskatchewan that was involved in a deadly bus crash. McLellan and Gulutzan, who each have ties to the province, met with survivors and family members of the victims. They also attended a vigil for the 15 people who were killed when the team bus collided with a tractor-trailer Friday. There were 29 people on the Broncos bus; the other 14 were injured.

Alain Vigneault was fired as coach of the New York Rangers on Saturday after five seasons. The Rangers finished last in the Metropolitan Division (34-39-9) this season and missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2009-10. The Rangers were 226-147-37 under Vigneault, who is third in wins and fourth in games in New York history. They were 31-30 in the playoffs; he is third all-time in playoff wins and games coached in Rangers history. New York reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2014, his first season, and got to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final in 2015. The Rangers lost in the Eastern Conference First Round in 2016 and in the second round last season.

Ken Holland has signed a two-year contract to return as general manager of the Detroit Red Wings. Holland said he would address the future of coach Jeff Blashill on Tuesday. Blashill is 104-105-36 in his three seasons. In 21 seasons with Holland as GM, the Red Wings have won the Stanley Cup three times (1998, 2002, 2008) and the Presidents’ Trophy four times (2002, 2004, 2006, 2008), with 10 division titles. Last season, Detroit’s run of 25 consecutive appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs ended, and this season is the first time the Red Wings have not qualified for the playoffs in consecutive seasons since 1982 and 1983.

Antti Raantasigned a three-year contract with the Arizona Coyotes on Friday. No financial terms were disclosed. Cap Friendly: $4.25M/yr. The 28-year-old goaltender, in his first season with Arizona, could have become an unrestricted free agent July 1. Acquired in a trade with the New York Rangers with center Derek Stepan for defenseman Tony DeAngeloand the No. 7 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft (center Lias Andersson) on June 23, Raanta is 21-16-6 this season in 46 games; his wins and games played are personal NHL highs. He missed 22 games because of injury. Raanta is tied for second in the NHL in save percentage (.930) and third in goals-against average (2.24) among goaltenders with at least 20 games this season. He has won six straight starts and is 9-1-0 in his past 10 games, allowing two or fewer goals in nine of them.

Joel Quenneville and Stan Bowman will remain coach and general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks, respectively, next season, president John McDonough said Thursday. The Blackhawks (33-37-10) are last in the Central Division and will miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2007-08. McDonough said he thinks Bowman and Quenneville are the right people to put the Blackhawks back on track after their worst season in a decade. Quenneville has won the Stanley Cup three times with the Blackhawks since he was named coach Oct. 16, 2008. His 884 NHL wins with the St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche and Blackhawks are second all-time behind Scotty Bowman (1,244). Stan Bowman replaced Dale Tallon to become the ninth GM in Blackhawks history July 14, 2009.

Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced today, April 10, that the team has signed University of Minnesota-Duluth forward Karson Kuhlman to a two-year NHL contract worth an average annual value of $750,000. Kuhlman will join the Providence Bruins on an Amateur Tryout Agreement for the remainder of the 2017-18 season.

Vladimir Tarasenkohad reconstructive surgery Wednesday to repair a dislocated left shoulder. The 26-year-old St. Louis Blues forward will be re-evaluated at training camp in September, general manager Doug Armstrong said. Tarasenko scored 33 goals in 80 games, leading the Blues in goals for the fourth straight season, and was second with 66 points, four behind forward Brayden Schenn, who had 70 (28 goals, 42 assists). He was injured in a collision with Colorado Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog during the first period of St. Louis’ season-ending 5-2 loss on Saturday.

Marian Gaborikof the Ottawa Senators had surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back Thursday. Gaborik, who has missed the past seven games, is expected to resume training in approximately eight weeks. Gaborik, who has 21 points (11 goals, 10 assists) in 46 games this season, has 815 points (407 goals, 408 assists) in 1,035 NHL games.

Florida Panthers defenseman Mike Mathesonhas been fined $2,000 as supplementary discipline under NHL Rule 64 (Diving/Embellishment), the National Hockey League announced Friday. NHL Rule 64 is designed to bring attention to and more seriously penalize players (and teams) who repeatedly dive and embellish in an attempt to draw penalties. Matheson was issued a Warning following an incident flagged by NHL Hockey Operations during NHL Game No. 647 against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Jan. 7. His second Citation, which triggered the $2,000 fine, was issued for an incident at 15:53 of the third period during NHL Game No. 1193 against the Ottawa Senators on March 29.

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Other Interesting Stories:

Canada’s Stanley Cup drought will end this season if the EA Sports NHL 18 playoff simulation is correct.According to the simulation, the Winnipeg Jets will be the last team standing and hoist the Stanley Cup come June, defeating the Boston Bruins in seven games. In a close series, the Jets win 4-2 in Game 7 to claim the first title in their history and become the first Canada-based team to win the Cup since the Montreal Canadiens in 1993. Forward Patrik Laine wins the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoffs MVP with 24 points (15 goals, nine assists). The Vegas Golden Knights, making their first Stanley Cup Playoff appearance, advanced to the Western Conference Final after defeating the Los Angeles Kings in six games and the San Jose Sharks in seven before losing to the Jets in six. For what it’s worth, the EA simulation had the Nashville Predators defeating the Montreal Canadiens in the 2017 Stanley Cup Final. The Predators ended up losing in six games to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the non-simulated Cup Final. https://www.nhl.com/news/winnipeg-wins-stanley-cup-in-ea-sports-nhl-18-playoff-simulation/c-297863906

The 2017-18 National Hockey League regular season concluded Sunday with Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavidcapturing his second consecutive Art Ross Trophy as the League’s scoring champion, Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin claiming his seventh career Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the NHL’s goal-scoring leader and Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings winning his second career William M. Jennings Trophy as the goaltender who plays at least 25 games for the club allowing the fewest goals. McDavid finished the season with a League-leading 108 points (41-67-108) in 82 games, besting Philadelphia Flyers center Claude Giroux (34-68-102 in 82 GP) and Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov (39-61-100 in 80 GP) for his second straight Art Ross Trophy. Ovechkin scored a League-high 49 goals in 82 games, finishing ahead of Winnipeg Jets right wing Patrik Laine (44 in 82 GP) and Vegas Golden Knights center William Karlsson (43 in 82 GP) for his seventh career Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy (also 2007-08, 2008-09, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16). Quick saw the most action on a Kings team that allowed a League-low 203 goals, eight fewer than the Nashville Predators (211) and 11 clear of the Boston Bruins (214).

Dallas Stars left wing Jamie Benn, Florida Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongoand Philadelphia Flyers center Claude Giroux have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending April 8. Benn led the NHL with seven goals, including a pair of hat tricks, and eight points in three games to power the Stars (42-32-8, 92 points) to a 2-1-0 week. Luongo went 3-0-0 with a 1.59 goals-against average and .955 save percentage in four appearances to help the Panthers (44-30-8, 96 points) become the 13th team in NHL history to earn five wins in seven days. Giroux ranked second in the NHL with 5-2-7 in three games to propel the Flyers (42-26-14, 98 points) to their eighth playoff berth in the past 11 seasons.

The Toronto Maple Leafs set a team record for points in a season at 105 with a 4-2 win against the Montreal Canadiens at Air Canada Centre on Saturday. Toronto’s previous record was 103 points during the 2003-04 season. Frederik Andersen made 31 saves for the Maple Leafs (49-26-7) to win a team-record 38th game in a single season. Andersen had shared the record at 37 wins with Ed Belfour (2002-03) and Andrew Raycroft (2006-07).

Connor Hellebuyckgot his 44th win, setting an NHL record for most in a season by a United States-born goalie, and the Winnipeg Jets defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 at Bell MTS Place on Saturday. Hellebuyck passed Tom Barrasso (Pittsburgh Penguins, 1992-93), who played before shootouts were introduced in the NHL. Hellebuyck had four shootout wins this season.

Adam Gaudettewon the Hobey Baker Award on Friday, given annually to the player voted to be the best in NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey. Gaudette, a 21-year-old junior, led the NCAA with 60 points (30 goals, 30 assists) in 38 games this season. He was named Hockey East Player of the Year, Hockey East Player of the Month for January and February, and MVP of the Beanpot tournament. He is the first player from Northeastern to win the award. Selected No. 149 in the 2015 NHL Draft by the Canucks, Gaudette signed a three-year, entry-level contract March 26. He has no points in four NHL games, including playing 13:04 in a 5-4 overtime win against the Arizona Coyotes in Vancouver on Thursday. Harvard University center Ryan Donato, who has five goals in 10 games with the Boston Bruins, and University of Denver center Henrik Borgstrom, who made his NHL debut with the Florida Panthers on March 29, were the other finalists.

The NHL announced the creation of the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award, which will recognize the commitment of those improving lives and strengthening communities through hockey. The award, unveiled Friday, will be presented at the 2018 NHL Awards in Las Vegas. The award will be presented to a person (not affiliated with the NHL or any of its clubs), team, league, rink or association who best utilizes hockey as a platform for participants to build character and develop important life skills for a more positive family experience. Starting May 1, nominees will be accepted on social media or via an online form (LINK: www.nhl.com/OReeAward ). A committee including O’Ree will choose six finalists before voting is opened to the public from May 15-30. The winner will be invited to take part in the NHL Awards.

One more. One more for Vancouver, for the Canucks. One more for the parents who raised them, Tommy and Tora; for the older brothers they idolized growing up, Peter and Stefan; for their wives and children and friends in the stands. One more for the fans, for the kids at BC Children’s Hospital, for everyone they had wanted to thank when they announced their retirement Monday. One more for Daniel and Henrik Sedin in their final home game. In overtime, on the power play, fans on their feet, Rogers Arena buzzing, Henrik sent a saucer pass from the right-wing corner to the point. At the end of a one-minute, 16-second shift, Daniel settled the puck on his blade and took a slap shot. The puck whizzed past Arizona Coyotes goaltender Darcy Kuemper at 2:33, the horn sounded, the arena roared and wow, what a moment. The Canucks won 4-3. For the second time Thursday night, Daniel scored a goal assisted by Henrik.

This show is a labor of love for us, but it does cost us money each month to produce. So, we are exploring options to allow you, our listener, to help us cover the costs of producing it. For starters, we have set up affiliate relationships with a couple companies. In the future, we may have more, but for now, you can support us through your purchases at Amazon.com and HockeyMonkey.com (Hockey Monkey is a hockey equipment provider). Your purchases there will not cost you a dime more, but a small percentage of your purchase will come back to us. In order to support us through our affiliates, simply go to our web site at TheHockeyNuts.com, and click on the appropriate affiliate link on the right side of the page. Coming soon: Seatgeek.com

Additionally, we are looking at ways to directly support us through a donation program. For now, if you would like to donate, go to thehockeynuts.com/donate and you will redirected to paypal.

Finally, if you can’t support us financially through one of the programs we just mentioned, you can support us through the following:

Share our show with other hockey fans you know.

If you have the itunes app on your computer or device, subscribe to our show there. It will help us rise up the rankings.

Speaking of itunes, we also encourage you to give us a review on itunes, as it will also help us get noticed more there.

Like, comment, and share our content wherever you see us on various social media pages.

Get involved with the show! We are just a couple hockey fans, and we love interacting with the audience.

Finally, we are looking for guest hosts to come on from time to time. If you feel you can provide more insight on your favorite team or league than we are, let us know! All you would need to join the show is a computer and Skype.

Share this:

Coming up on this episode of the Hockey Nuts, Steve and I get you caught up with all of the news of the past week around the hockey world. Only 19 teams are left alive in this season’s playoff push entering the final week of the regular season. 16 will ultimately get into the playoffs, while 3 will get knocked out. It will go down to the final full day of action for sure. We’ll have the details of all this plus the Minor League Hockey Minute, The NCAA hockey minute and our picks of the week.

Brandon Carlois out for the rest of the season for the Boston Bruins. The 21-year-old defenseman will need 3-4 months to recover from surgery on his left ankle, which he fractured Saturday against the Florida Panthers. Carlo was removed from the ice on a stretcher during the third period of the 5-1 win after falling awkwardly along the boards. Carlo had six assists and was plus-10 with an average of 19:14 of ice time in 76 games. He played 82 games last season, his first in the NHL.

Cam Fowlerwill be out 2-6 weeks for the Anaheim Ducks because of a shoulder injury. The 26-year-old defenseman was injured during the third period of a 4-3 overtime win against the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday and is likely to miss at least the Western Conference First Round should Anaheim qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Fowler has 32 points (eight goals, 24 assists) in 67 games and leads the Ducks in average ice time per game at 24:51. He’s the only Ducks defenseman to average more than two minutes per game on the power play and on the penalty kill.

Steven Stamkosdid not play for the Tampa Bay Lightning against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TVAS, SN1, NESN, NHL.TV) because of a lower-body injury. The 28-year-old center left a 4-1 loss to the Nashville Predators on Sunday at 3:25 of the second period after getting tangled with Predators forward Austin Watson. Lightning coach Jon Cooper on Monday said Stamkos was day to day. Stamkos is second on the Lightning with 86 points (27 goals, 59 assists), behind linemate Nikita Kucherov, who has 97 points (38 goals, 59 assists).

Ryan Suteris out the rest of the season for the Minnesota Wild with a fractured right ankle. The 33-year-old defenseman was injured during a 4-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on Saturday. He will have surgery at a date to be determined. Defenseman Carson Soucy made his NHL debut Monday. The 23-year-old was a fifth-round pick by the Wild (No. 137) in the 2013 NHL Draft. Minnesota is also without defensemen Jared Spurgeon (hamstring) and Gustav Olofsson (concussion).

Jesper Fast is out for the remainder of the regular season for the New York Rangers, coach Alain Vigneault said Monday. Fast, a forward, has a groin injury. Mats Zuccarello, also a forward, is having an MRI for an undisclosed injury and did not play Tuesday. He leads the Rangers with 52 points (16 goals, 36 assists) and will enter the final season of a four-year contract in 2018-19. “He blocked a couple of shots the last couple of games,” Vigneault said about Zuccarello, 30. “He’s having a tough time walking right now.” Fast, 26, has 33 points (13 points, 20 assists) in 71 games, including 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in his past 12.

Scottie Upshallis out indefinitely for the St. Louis Blues with a left kidney laceration. The 34-year-old forward was injured in a 6-0 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday. He played the past two games after missing 10 with an MCL sprain.

Victor Antipinis out indefinitely for the Buffalo Sabres after sustaining a concussion, facial lacerations, a broken nose and dental injuries against the Nashville Predators on Saturday. The 25-year-old defenseman left on a stretcher at 14:09 of the second period after being hit by Predators forward Scott Hartnell. He was released from the hospital and traveled with the Sabres on Sunday for their game at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday. Antipin has 10 assists in 47 games this season.

Michal Neuvirthis day to day for the Philadelphia Flyers with a lower-body injury. The 30-year-old goaltender was injured in the second period of a 2-1 victory against the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday. He made 10 saves before he was replaced by Petr Mrazek. Neuvirth is 9-7-3 with a 2.60 goals-against average and .915 save percentage this season. Alex Lyon (4-2-1, 2.75 GAA, .905 save percentage) was recalled from Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League on Saturday under emergency conditions.

Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchandhas been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for cross-checking Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Andrew MacDonald during NHL Game No. 1218 in Philadelphia on Sunday, April 1, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today. The incident occurred at 18:55 of the second period. Marchand was assessed a minor penalty for cross-checking.

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Ian Cole has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for a dangerous trip against Vancouver Canucks forward Brandon Sutter during NHL Game No. 1208 in Vancouver on Saturday, March 31, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today. The incident occurred at 8:10 of the second period. Cole was assessed a minor penalty for tripping.

Other Interesting Stories:

Erik Karlssonwill not travel with the Ottawa Senators for their season-ending three-game road trip so he can be with his wife, Melinda, and their family following the loss of their son, Axel. Karlsson had three assists in a 6-5 loss to the Winnipeg Jets at Canadian Tire Centre on Monday, Ottawa’s final home game this season, and picked up the puck after the game ended. Karlsson can become an unrestricted free agent after the 2018-19 season and is eligible to sign a new contract July 1. There were rumors surrounding Karlsson’s future with the Senators before the NHL Trade Deadline passed Feb. 26, and he remained with Ottawa.

Danieland Henrik Sedin announced their retirement from the NHL on Monday the way they carried themselves for 17 seasons as forwards with the Vancouver Canucks. They posted a letter to Canucks fans on the team website. They spoke from the heart, together. After discussions with their families, it became clear this would be their last season. It was time for the 37-year-old twins to focus on homework and birthday parties and kids’ activities and family dinners, on life after hockey. They decided to break the news now because the Canucks did not make the Stanley Cup Playoffs and will finish the season at home against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday (10 p.m. ET; SNP, ATTSN-RM, NHL.TV) and Arizona Coyotes on Thursday, then at the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. “We want to share these final three games with you,” they wrote. “We also want to share these games with our families, friends, teammates, coaches, trainers, staff and everyone at the Canucks who have supported us. You’ve all been with us every step of the way, and we want to thank you.” The Canucks selected Daniel No. 2 and Henrik No. 3 in the 1999 NHL Draft after deft maneuvering by Brian Burke, then the general manager. They came to North America from Sweden together in 2000-01. Henrik won the Art Ross Trophy as scoring champion and the Hart Trophy as most valuable player in 2009-10. Daniel won the Art Ross and was runner-up for the Hart the next season. Henrik reached 1,000 points last season; Daniel did it this season. Never before had two brothers reached 1,000 points each, let alone two on the same team at the same time, let alone identical twins on the same line most of the time. The differences were subtle — Henrik more of a playmaker at center, Daniel more of a finisher on the wing. In the Canucks record book, Henrik is No. 1 in games played (1,327), assists (828) and points (1,068). Daniel is No. 2 in games played (1,303), assists (647) and points (1,038). Daniel is No. 1 in goals (391); Henrik is seventh (240). No, they never won the Stanley Cup, coming oh-so-close when the Canucks lost Games 6 and 7 of the 2011 Final to the Boston Bruins. But it says everything about them and their connection to the community that, when it became clear the Canucks were no longer contenders late in their careers, they didn’t leave to chase it elsewhere.

Hockey communities across the nation have rallied together to share inspiring stories about their local ice rinks and teams, and now four of them are one step closer to the coveted title of “Kraft Hockeyville™ USA 2018.” In partnership with the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) and the National Hockey League (NHL®), Kraft Heinz is searching for America’s most spirited and passionate hockey community. With nominations narrowed to four finalists, top contenders are now encouraging their fans to show support and take part in public voting, which begins at 12:00 a.m. ET on April 13 and extends through April 14 at 11 a.m. ET. The winner will be announced live on NBCSN later that day. Each of the four finalists will receive funds for rink upgrades from Kraft Heinz, with the grand prize winner awarded the opportunity to host an NHL® Pre-Season Game and receive $150,000 in rink upgrades. Finalists were selected based on story content and their communities’ total digital Rally Points, which were awarded for activities such as uploading photos and videos, tweeting from the community page and interacting with the community content gallery on KraftHockeyville.com. The four communities advancing to the public voting round are: Brandon Valley – Brandon, S.D., Clinton Arena – Clinton, N.Y., George’s Pond at Hirsch Coliseum – Shreveport, La., Memorial Sports Center – Middlebury, Vt.

Honors/Milestones:

Vegas Golden Knights center William Karlsson, Arizona Coyotes goaltender Antti Raanta and Buffalo Sabres center Jack Eichel have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending April 1. Karlsson led the NHL with 3-6-9, including a pair of shorthanded goals, in four games as the Pacific Division champion Golden Knights (50-22-7, 107 points) became the first modern-era expansion team from any of the four North American professional sports leagues to start from scratch and finish first in its division (excluding mergers and all-expansion divisions). Raanta went 3-0-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average, .964 save percentage and one shutout as the Coyotes (28-40-11, 67 points) won three of their four games for the week to improve to 16-8-2 dating to Feb. 8. Eichel placed second in the NHL with 3-5-8 in three games to help the Sabres (25-41-12, 62 points) pick up a pair of victories.

Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkinplayed his 1,000th NHL game on Sunday, a 3-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Ovechkin leads the NHL with 45 goals this season. For his career, Ovechkin has scored 603 goals and 1,118 points and is the first Capitals player to reach 1,000 games with the team.

Before their final home game of their inaugural season, the Vegas Golden Knights honored the victims of the tragic Harvest Music Festival shooting back on Oct. 1. The team raised a banner to the rafters with the names of each victim and 58 stars to represent the lives lost. The top of the banner reads “Vegas Strong.” The team also announced that no Golden Knights player will ever wear No. 58 in honor of the victims. It is officially retired.

Seabrook, 32, played in his 1,000th NHL game when Chicago hosted the Winnipeg Jets at United Center on Thursday (8:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCH, TSN3, NHL.TV). It’s been quite a career for Seabrook, who has won the Stanley Cup three times (2010, 2013, 2015), won a gold medal with Canada at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and been an important leader for the Blackhawks. He is the fifth player in Chicago franchise history to reach that milestone. He ranks third all-time for franchise defensemen in goals (94), and sixth in assists (336) and points (440). His three career overtime goals in the playoffs are the most among Chicago blue liners in franchise history.

Power Ranking:

X – Nashville (1)

X – Tampa Bay (2)

X – Boston (3)

X – Winnipeg (5)

Y – Vegas (4)

Y – Washington (7)

X – Toronto (8)

X – Minnesota (9)

X – San Jose (6)

Columbus (14)

Los Angeles (12)

X – Pittsburgh (10)

Anaheim (11)

New Jersey (18)

Philly (15)

Colorado (13)

St Louis (17)

Florida (16)

e – Dallas (20)

e – Calgary (21)

e – Carolina (19)

e – Rangers (22)

e – Islanders (24)

e – Chicago (25)

e – Edmonton (23)

e – Detroit (27)

e – Vancouver (28)

e – Arizona (29)

e – Montreal (26)

e – Ottawa (30)

e – Buffalo (31)

Looking ahead:

Bos: @ FLA on 4/5, vs Ott on 4/7, vs FLA on 4/8, end of regular season

This show is a labor of love for us, but it does cost us money each month to produce. So, we are exploring options to allow you, our listener, to help us cover the costs of producing it. For starters, we have set up affiliate relationships with a couple companies. In the future, we may have more, but for now, you can support us through your purchases at Amazon.com and HockeyMonkey.com (Hockey Monkey is a hockey equipment provider). Your purchases there will not cost you a dime more, but a small percentage of your purchase will come back to us. In order to support us through our affiliates, simply go to our web site at TheHockeyNuts.com, and click on the appropriate affiliate link on the right side of the page. Coming soon: Seatgeek.com

Additionally, we are looking at ways to directly support us through a donation program. For now, if you would like to donate, go to thehockeynuts.com/donate and you will redirected to paypal.

Finally, if you can’t support us financially through one of the programs we just mentioned, you can support us through the following:

Share our show with other hockey fans you know.

If you have the itunes app on your computer or device, subscribe to our show there. It will help us rise up the rankings.

Speaking of itunes, we also encourage you to give us a review on itunes, as it will also help us get noticed more there.

Like, comment, and share our content wherever you see us on various social media pages.

Get involved with the show! We are just a couple hockey fans, and we love interacting with the audience.

Finally, we are looking for guest hosts to come on from time to time. If you feel you can provide more insight on your favorite team or league than we are, let us know! All you would need to join the show is a computer and Skype.

Share this:

Coming up on this episode of the Hockey Nuts, Steve and I get you caught up with all of the news of the past week around the hockey world. The final 16 playoff teams are starting to come into focus. Several teams have officially punched their playoff tickets, while many others have been mathematically eliminated. College hockey is down to the Frozen Four. We’ll have the details of all this plus the Minor League Hockey Minute, The NCAA hockey minute and our picks of the week

Zdeno Charasigned a $5 million contract for next season with the Boston Bruins on Wednesday. The 41-year-old defenseman, who is the Bruins captain, could have become an unrestricted free agent July 1. He can earn $1.75 million in incentives. Chara has been Bruins captain since 2006-07 after he signed as an unrestricted free agent from the Ottawa Senators on July 1, 2006. The oldest defenseman in the NHL, he has 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) and a plus-26 rating averaging 23:00 of ice time in 68 games this season. Based on the way Chara played this season, general manager Don Sweeney said he had no qualms about signing him to another contract. Chara is playing the final season of a five-year contract with an average annual value of $7.5 million. Chara, who won the Norris Trophy voted as the NHL’s best defenseman in 2008-09 and the Stanley Cup with Boston in 2010-11, has 627 points (195 goals, 432 assists) in 1,418 games in 20 NHL seasons with the New York Islanders, Senators and Bruins. He was selected by the Islanders in the third round (No. 56) of the 1996 NHL Draft. https://www.capfriendly.com/teams/bruins

Markus Nutivaarasigned a four-year contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. The 23-year-old defenseman has 22 points (six goals, 16 assists) in 59 games for the Blue Jackets, who selected him in the seventh round (No. 189) of the 2015 NHL Draft. He had seven points (two goals, five assists) and was plus-7 in 66 games as a rookie in 2016-17, and had a goal and an assist in two Stanley Cup Playoff games. Nutivaara signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Blue Jackets in May 2016 after playing two seasons for Karpat in Liiga, Finland’s top professional league.

Matthew Tkachuk and TJ Brodie of the Calgary Flames are likely to be out for the remainder of the season, each with an upper-body injury. Tkachuk, a second-year forward, has missed seven games since he was injured against the New York Islanders on March 11. Brodie, a defenseman who has not skated since being injured against the Vegas Golden Knights on March 18, has missed four games.

Jake Muzzinhas an upper-body injury and is week to week for the Los Angeles Kings. The 29-year-old defenseman left at 2:49 of the second period in a 3-0 win against the Calgary Flames on Monday after he fell awkwardly into the corner on a hit by Flames forward Micheal Ferland. Muzzin has 42 points (eight goals, 34 assists) and is plus-10 with 123 blocked shots in 74 games this season.

Kevin Shattenkirkwill not return to the New York Rangers lineup this season. The 29-year-old defenseman, who hasn’t played since Jan. 18, had surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee Jan. 22.

Nick Folignowill be out 2-4 weeks for the Columbus Blue Jackets with a lower-body injury. The NHL regular season ends April 8, and the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin April 11. Foligno, who was injured in a 2-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, has 33 points (15 goals, 18 assists) in 72 games, including 19 (eight goals, 11 assists) in his past 30. The 30-year-old forward has 400 points (169 goals, 231 assists) in 768 games with the Blue Jackets and Ottawa Senators.

Sean Monahan will miss the rest of the Calgary Flames season because of undisclosed injuries. The 23-year-old center leads the Flames with 31 goals and is second with 64 points, behind forward Johnny Gaudreau, who has 82 points (23 goals, 59 assists).

Mike Greenwill have neck surgery and the Detroit Red Wings defenseman will not play again this season. Green will have surgery on his cervical spine April 5 and will need at least two months to recover. The 32-year-old, who played in the 2018 Honda NHL All-Star Game, can become an unrestricted free agent July 1. He has 33 points (eight goals, 25 assists) in 66 games and missed seven games from Feb. 17-28 with a neck injury. He aggravated the injury in practice Wednesday.

Jason Spezzacould be out for the remainder of the regular season for the Dallas Stars with a back injury. The 34-year-old forward will be evaluated in two weeks; the regular season ends April 8, and the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin April 11. Spezza missed his first game of the season, a 4-3 loss to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, after leaving the morning skate early. He has 25 points (seven goals, 18 assists) in 72 games.

Jonathan Toewswill miss a few games with an upper-body injury the Chicago Blackhawks center sustained against the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday. The Chicago captain, who left late in the third period of the 5-1 loss to the Avalanche, will be re-evaluated next week, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. The 29-year-old’s last shift came with 1:56 remaining.

Brett Pesceand Victor Rask will not play again this season for the Carolina Hurricanes, each because of a shoulder injury. Pesce, a 23-year-old defenseman, has 19 points (three goals, 16 assists) in 65 games. His 2:21 time on ice per game shorthanded is second on the Hurricanes to defenseman Jaccob Slavin (2:40). Pesce played 20:00 in a 7-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. Rask, a 25-year-old center, has 31 points (14 goals, 17 assists) in 71 games this season, after 45 and 48 points the prior two seasons. He played 13:51 Tuesday.

Other Interesting Stories:

The National Hockey League announced Wed. the odds for the 2018 NHL Draft Lottery, which will be held Saturday, April 28 in Toronto. The 2018 NHL Draft Lottery will consist of three drawings: the 1st Lottery Draw will determine the club selecting first overall, the 2nd Lottery Draw will determine the club selecting second overall, and the 3rd Lottery Draw will determine the club selecting third overall. The 15 clubs that do not qualify for the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs, or the clubs that have acquired the first-round picks of those non-playoff clubs, will participate in the 2018 NHL Draft Lottery. The 12 clubs not selected in the 2018 NHL Draft Lottery will be assigned 2018 NHL Draft selections 4 through 15, in inverse order of regular-season points. The 2018 NHL Draft will take place at American Airlines Center in Dallas. The first round will be held Friday, June 22. Rounds 2-7 will take place Saturday, June 23. https://www.nhl.com/news/2018-nhl-draft-lottery-odds-announced/c-297409174

The National Hockey League’s Board of Governors has approved changes to Rule 78.7 (ii) Coach’s Challenge – Goaltender Interference, the League announced Tuesday. The changes were recommended by the NHL’s General Managers at their March Meeting and subsequently approved by the NHL/NHLPA Competition Committee. The updated rule, as written below (with changes underlined), will be implemented for games as of Wednesday, March 28. (ii) Scoring Plays Involving Potential “Interference on the Goalkeeper” (c) The standard for overturning the call in the event of a “GOAL” call on the ice is that the NHL Situation Room (which shall include a former referee in the Officiating Department in the decision-making process), after reviewing any and all available replays and consulting with the Referee who made the original call, determines that the goal should have been disallowed due to “Interference on the Goalkeeper,” as described in Rules 69.1, 69.3 and 69.4. (d) The standard for overturning the call in the event of a “NO GOAL” call on the ice is that the NHL Situation Room (which shall include a former referee in the Officiating Department in the decision-making process), after reviewing any and all available replays and consulting with the Referee who made the original call, determines that the goal on the ice should have been allowed because either: (i) there was no actual contact of any kind initiated by the attacking Player with the goalkeeper; or (ii) the attacking Player was pushed, shoved or fouled by a defending Player causing the attacking Player to come into contact with the goalkeeper; or (iii) the attacking Player’s positioning within the crease did not impair the goalkeeper’s ability to defend his goal and, in fact, had no discernible impact on the play.

The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is awarded annually by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey. A player from each team is nominated by the local chapter. Those nominations are being revealed Tuesday. The list will be narrowed to three finalists and a winner will be named at the NHL Awards show in June in Las Vegas. https://www.nhl.com/news/masterton-trophy-2018-nominees-announced/c-297374474

Martin Brodeur and Sean Burke were named as Canada’s co-general managers for the IIHF World Championship on Monday. The tournament will take place in Denmark from May 4-20. Brodeur, 45, the winningest goalie in NHL history (691-397-49 with 105 ties), played all but one of his 22 seasons with the New Jersey Devils; he was a three-time Stanley Cup champion and four-time Vezina Trophy winner. Brodeur helped Canada win the gold medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Burke, 51, played for nine teams during his 18 NHL seasons, finishing with a record of 324-341-9 with 101 ties. He won a silver medal with Canada at the 1992 Albertville Olympics.

Wayne Huizenga, the founding owner of the Florida Panthers, died Friday at age 80. “The Florida Panthers organization is heartbroken by the news of H. Wayne Huizenga’s passing,” owner Vincent J. Viola said. “Mr. Huizenga’s lifelong commitment to our community, his philanthropy and his entrepreneurial spirit ensure that the Huizenga family legacy will live on in South Florida. I’m continually inspired by Wayne’s example, from his vision and his civic-minded leadership, to his success fostering an environment of on-ice excellence, which continues to have a shaping influence on every step we take in the South Florida community. He will be remembered always by our Panthers family.” Huizenga headed the ownership group that was awarded an expansion franchise by the NHL in 1992. The Panthers started play in the 1993-94 season, going 33-34-17 for 83 points, the most by an NHL expansion team until the Vegas Golden Knights broke the record this season. The Panthers reached the Stanley Cup Final in 1996 but lost in four games to the Colorado Avalanche. Huizenga also helped secure funds for BB&T Center, which has been the Panthers’ home since it opened in 1998. On Jan. 19, the Panthers retired No. 37, Huizenga’s lucky number, in his honor. While owning the Panthers, Huizenga also owned the Miami Dolphins of the NFL and the Florida Marlins of Major League Baseball, making him, for a time, one of the most dominant owners in North American professional sports.

“NHL on NBC” broadcaster Eddie Olczyk announced on the air Thursday that he is cancer-free. “I’m proud to say, final scan after chemo treatment… all the cancer is gone. We beat this thing,” Olczyk said. “I got the call March 14 at 5:07 p.m. that my scans were clear. I never heard a better phrase in my life. Now I’m 10 days on with the rest of my life, and that’s the way I’m looking at it.” The 51-year-old former NHL player was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer Aug. 4. Olczyk was a forward for 16 seasons in the NHL and a member of the 1994 Stanley Cup champion New York Rangers.

Honors/Milestones:

Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, St. Louis Blues goaltender Jake Allen and Winnipeg Jets left wing Kyle Connor have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending March 25. McDavid paced the NHL with five goals and 10 points in four games (5-5-10) to move into first place in the Art Ross Trophy race and propel the Oilers (34-36-6, 74 points) to a 3-0-1 week. Allen went 3-0-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average and .961 save percentage to help the Blues (42 28 5, 89 points) extend their winning streak to five games and move into the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Connor registered 4-2-6, including a pair of overtime goals, in three games as the Jets (46-19-10, 102 points) went 3-0-0 to clinch their third playoff berth in franchise history.

This show is a labor of love for us, but it does cost us money each month to produce. So, we are exploring options to allow you, our listener, to help us cover the costs of producing it. For starters, we have set up affiliate relationships with a couple companies. In the future, we may have more, but for now, you can support us through your purchases at Amazon.com and HockeyMonkey.com (Hockey Monkey is a hockey equipment provider). Your purchases there will not cost you a dime more, but a small percentage of your purchase will come back to us. In order to support us through our affiliates, simply go to our web site at TheHockeyNuts.com, and click on the appropriate affiliate link on the right side of the page. Coming soon: Seatgeek.com

Additionally, we are looking at ways to directly support us through a donation program. For now, if you would like to donate, go to thehockeynuts.com/donate and you will redirected to paypal.

Finally, if you can’t support us financially through one of the programs we just mentioned, you can support us through the following:

Share our show with other hockey fans you know.

If you have the itunes app on your computer or device, subscribe to our show there. It will help us rise up the rankings.

Speaking of itunes, we also encourage you to give us a review on itunes, as it will also help us get noticed more there.

Like, comment, and share our content wherever you see us on various social media pages.

Get involved with the show! We are just a couple hockey fans, and we love interacting with the audience.

Finally, we are looking for guest hosts to come on from time to time. If you feel you can provide more insight on your favorite team or league than we are, let us know! All you would need to join the show is a computer and Skype.